Through thorns to stars of

the big manure heap lay In the yard of the old house built in collective-farm times near a cattle shed and beside a sprawling apple-tree. It lay there from time immemorial and there was, probably, same old, as well as a house. In the winter it became covered by snow and ice, freezing through almost through, and life in it hardly glimmered, remaining somewhere in its depth, with the bottom. But here was quite another matter in the summer. In the summer the heap came to life. Thousands and thousands of small insects, tarakashka, bugs and worms began to run, creep, jump and scurry about on it there and here, here and there, up and down, down and up, hurrying on the important bukashesky issues. The heap buzzed, peeped and hooted, whistled and sviristet in one thousand different voices and golosishka. Sometimes on it, except a prickly thistle, even the real flowers grew that forced a heap to be proud of itself extremely. If she was able to talk, she for certain would zaukhat, would begin to groan: “You see what I am an important heap. What I am remarkable. Glory to me!“.

In the spring as it happened every year when life was stirred up with a new force around, among thousands of bugs, bukashechek and tarakashechek in a manure heap the worm arose. Ordinary such worm, same, as well as thousands of other worms - is not better and it is not worse. Other worms trained it to creep on - chervyach. They showed it how to be turned by rings during danger and how to bury more deeply in warm manure where there was more food. Chervyachya the school taught him to the fact that also other manure heaps in which there live other worms who creep exist and are turned by rings not as they, and in a different way and that to these manure heaps and worms it is far to their manure heap and their worms. At chervyachy school it taught to love the homeland - a manure heap. So spoke to it: “Our manure heap the biggest and warm heap on light. There is no such remarkable heap anywhere. Food in our heap - the most tasty and our worms the happiest worms on light. Remember it“.

When the worm became more size, adult and fattest worms explained to him that when the heap is threatened by danger, the heap needs to be protected. For example, when at the end of summer on an apple-tree apples which one behind another fall down ripen, it is necessary to neutralize these apples because threatens to fill up a heap with ripe apples and then not to pass invasion of others, hostile to them, worms, small insects and tarakashka. Strategy was in in due time to destroy the opponent - apple as soon as it fell to a manure heap. That is to eat it. The one who ate most even at the cost of the life, received from the fattest worm in a heap chervyachyyu a medal which was called “For a wormhole“. But the highest fighting skill and chervyachy bravery was considered to creep on an apple-tree trunk on an apple-tree and to begin extermination of the opponent already in his territory. Oh, it was the whole science! In an early autumn when apples on an old apple-tree threatened to fill up a manure heap, hundreds of the most brave worms were sent by the fattest worms to an apple-tree. More than a half of them already on the road pecked birds, but the others by means of skillful masking managed to reach sprawling branches of an old apple-tree and already from there hurried from all the chervyachy forces to red apples, hasty burying in them all the chervyachy being. In apple they were in relative safety. However, a good few from them wonderfully somewhere vanished together with apples. That is, without message. Old worms said that it is God takes away to itself the most desperate then all of them get to chervyachy Heaven. The others, having made the to a chervyachya business in apple, drop together with the rotten enemy broke to death down and, as a rule. Or they were so exhausted by fight against apple that could not move, and perished in a beak of some jay. All of them without exception were awarded the order by “For a Chervstvost“.

Our worm did not manage to prove from the heroic chervyachy party though he very much wanted it. Everything that it had to do - it to digest already ready manure from what at it in two days - the term of chervyachy service - health reeled.

Life - life in a manure heap was free. However, our worm has nothing was to compare - he never saw drugiyenavozny heaps - but so all important fat worms spoke, and they that were a good judge of manure heaps. Among them even were such which managed to visit several others heaps and to live there. Still when the worm studied at school, such worms - travelers came to them and told that, for example, the neighbour`s manure heap is less than the sizes also in it not so warmly, as at them. And that heap that is behind this, in general half dried and its inhabitant almost could not eat. However, once, some worm - the traveler told that near a neighbour`s heap there are no apple-trees and local worms do not need to be at war on what his fatter chief strictly looked at it, and that stopped. Then as our worm heard, this worm - the traveler was sent to an apple-tree to be at war with apples where he died death of brave worms.

On the twentieth day of the life our worm wanted to marry. Not that it from this desire in rings was turned, and so, just it was necessary at all worms, perhaps. All other worms asked it: “And the girlfriend - a chervyachikha at you is?“, on what he confusedly turned pale and felt guilty. He long could not choose to himself the companion of the chervyachy life: there was it some pale, almost white, and to chervyachikha, most likely, not really it was pleasant. But once it happened so that the chervyachikha met a gentle pink color which in a trice made it chervyachyyu conceited to it. Without thinking twice they chervyachyyu celebrated a wedding, as well as it is necessary, and began to live to live little worms to acquire.

allocated to the Young family a cozy manure corner in the worm hostel. Every morning our worm left for work which was in eating the begun to rot apples and to fertilize a manure heap “final product“. Chervyachikh stayed at home and looked for little worms - madcaps. Chervyachya life was cloudless also a bessolnechna literally as life in a constant gloom of a manure heap did not know either the sun, or clouds.

But once the worm was sent with a special task to the very top of a heap, having explained that very important and responsible task - a consuming of not decayed apples on the surface of a manure heap trusts in it. Long is on top the unprepared worm could not therefore gradual accustoming was necessary to a worm. Together with other worms - companions the worm crept out on a surface and … almost went blind and became deaf.

What is it? Something yellow, warm and bright struck it its small chervyachy eyes. Thousands of deafening sounds - and not peep, hum and gurgle of the digested manure in its gut - and whistle, trills and a rustle of foliage amazed its chervyach ears. He tried to reopen the blinded eyes, and right there fainted the to a chervyachya.

Regained consciousness it in a familiar gloom of a manure heap. Eyes still hurt, and dinned in the ears. What was it? What for the bright yellow flash which blinded him? What for one thousand unfamiliar sounds which deafened him? New unfamiliar world? The awful world in which there are other not such big manure heaps? The awful world in which there are other less happy worms?

Having lain in worm hospital and having a little recovered, it took an interest at fat worms that it was. “What was it? Ha! It is that LIGHT, unfamiliar and hostile for all worms. LIGHT from which each worm perishes he should linger too long on top“. “And what is LIGHT?“ “Well, LIGHT is a disgusting yellow spot from above, plus ugly blue dirt around it. Well, and still awful shouts of the flying reptiles living on their enemy - an apple-tree“.

Having discharged from hospital, familiar worms found that the worm became even more pale. He oddly did not want to eat apples any more and to fertilize the Heap. He worse and worse saw in a gloom and the manure smell did not please him any more. Worms with suspicion glanced at it.

“What is with me?“ - the worm thought. “Can do it from - for SVETA? Whether I will recover sometime?“

Worms are doctors in worm hospital, having surveyed it, found that it has a worm cancer 1 - y stages. “Radiation by LIGHT. Intensive worm therapy“ &ndash is necessary; also prescribed it warming up by the freshest manure and intake of the most rotten apples. the Worm with disgust devoured with

the most disgusting apples and for days on end lay without moving in the smelliest manure. But nothing helped. Cancer developed further. Sight and sense of smell became aggravated to intolerable degree. His friends - worms ceased to communicate with it. His wife - a chervotoshenka left him to the mother - chervoteshche. The worm remained absolutely alone.

But once as if having regained consciousness from a bad dream, he suddenly felt that it is necessary to it. “It is necessary to me on LIGHT! LIGHT will not kill me. He will rescue me! “ And the worm with the last bit of strength spread on top.

Having got out to a surface, it closed, having deeply sighed as if last time, widely opened eyes, prigotovyas to immediate death. But, instead of pain, he suddenly lightened. Then pleasure. The disgusting yellow spot did not seem disgusting, and on the contrary, tender and friendly. Ugly blue dirt was not ugly at all. And shouts of birds seemed fine music.

“Hold it!“ - suddenly he heard behind, and without waiting when he is seized, he that was forces, spread down, down the Heap. He understood that will not forgive it his willfulness and if grab, then not to see to it more SVETA.

Having reached the earth, he was surprised that the Heap, appears not such big as he all this time was told. Having hidden behind some yellow leaflet, he looked at it - “The biggest and best manure heap on light“ - and to it it did not seem such big any more and remarkable as earlier, and it is rather on the contrary, small and ugly.

Meanwhile, the pursuit stopped, and a worm, without hurrying crawled to a fence which separated their yard from neighbour`s, passed it, and still a time later, it appeared at that manure heap about which he was told so much at school. The heap was time in two less its native. The worms living there were a little less by the size and are lighter on color of relatives of a worm. They welcomed it to themselves, showed how they live and invited so, how, he will want to remain with them. “Probably, they such hospitable because they have no apple-tree with which it is necessary to be at war all the time“.

Unlike his gloomy tribespeople, worms of this heap smiled all the time and willingly helped each other. However, they had one shortcoming: they as well as his fellows lived in a manure heap and almost did not see SVETA.

Having stayed for a while a little with them, a worm, having thanked all for hospitality and hospitality, started further on a journey. “If the neighbour`s heap so differs from mine, then as far as other, distant heaps will differ?“ - he thought, creeping from a blade on a blade, from a hummock on a hummock. Once it, however, nearly ate any flying being with which this country teemed, but it pretended to be a dry branch in time, and the danger passed. Another time to it met a being bulging eyes and a big mouth who did not creep and did not fly, and moved huge jumps. The being, however, did not become interested in a worm, and, having made a loud sound, jumped aside and disappeared.

Having reached the following yard, - oh, and it, seemingly, there was a collective-farm farmyard, such boundless it seemed to a worm - it uvidat it from what at it intercepted its worm spirit: near wooden constructions as far as there was enough eye, all was covered with manure familiar to it. No, it was already not the heap, it was the boundless plain native to it compost. Sense of nostalgia seized it. He suddenly awfully wanted home where all was to the family and acquaintances.

All worms, small insects and tarakashka whom he saw there were time in two more fatly and more than his relatives. Their bodies shone, armors sparkled, short moustaches are lifted cheerfully up up. In total joyfully and in vain ran, jumped, crept to and fro. All were awfully busy and all all the time smiled.

Manure was shining, fat there, from it pleasantly and strongly smelled. Life and boiled in is mute. But, and there was one difficulty: the yard was hung around here and there by big white and black beings who raked the strong naked legs manure all the time and pulled out from there - oh, horror! - one behind another of worms fat and happy with life, small insects and tarakashka.

The despair seized a worm: really and here, in this manure paradise, chervyachya life is full of falsities and dangers? Really and here, where all such fat and happy where everything is full SVETA, this LIGHT bears still big danger, than disgusting DARKNESS? What does it turn out? All its efforts, a gap with the family, all danger to which it subjected itself(himself) - everything was vain? What is it? Means, to sit in a native manure heap, without leaning out and submitting to all rules and orders which were composed by someone to you, it is much better, than to try to create own, let and chervyachyyu, destiny? As it is unfair! As it is dishonest! As … the worm felt how some force together with pieces of manure threw it up, he plopped down back on a back, through bright LIGHT saw a big bare-legged being who pecked his time, another, made the convulsive movement a throat, and went further in search of the same little, and not so curious worms.